The judge in the murder trial of a former Albuquerque police officer accused of killing his wife dropped a bombshell Monday morning, declaring all evidence hearings will be closed to the public.

Action 7 News reporter Liz McKernan reported from the Sandoval County Courthouse that the judge decided that keeping evidence out of the public eye will help Levi Chavez have a chance for a fair trial. Chavez is accused of killing his wife, Tera Chavez, in 2007 with his department-issued gun.

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As soon as Monday's hearing started, the judge had a few words for the assistant district attorney.

"Every time we have a meeting, your office calls the media," said Judge George Eichwald. "You're letting the cat out of the bag."

The judge was concerned that a media presence could affect Chavez's chances of receiving a fair trial.

Now, instead of public hearings to discuss what evidence and testimony will be allowed in court, those arguments will be heard behind closed doors.

"We do not want more disinformation, more innuendo and gossip and inadmissible information to be heard by the public," said defense attorney David Serna.

The victim's family told McKernan portions of the case are already in the public forum.

"It sounds as though Serrna is attempting to put blame on our family and the DA for the media coverage," said Joseph Cordova, the victim's father. "You can read, right? You read the docket."

Action 7 News knew of the case through a court docket, which is public record. In 2012, the judge ordered the trial to be moved out of Los Lunas in an effort for Chavez to have a fair trial.

One of the next steps will be to select a jury. Prosecutors and the defense attorney have crafted more than eight pages worth of questions for jurors to determine whether they will need to change the venue of the trial again.

The trial is scheduled for June. The state asked the judge to allow a few weeks before the trial to argue some of the evidence and testimony in the case, but was denied. Those arguments will be heard the day before jury selection begins.